Alpine will relaunch to become a global brand

In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Jerome Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing stated that Alpine is set to become a global brand and not one that will be limited to Europe only.

Despite Alpine’s absence for over two decades, Stoll also doesn’t seem worried that the brand is relatively unknown outside of France. “We had a long discussion whether to revive this sleeping asset. The brand has a great history and great potential because it is all about lightweight construction and fun to drive,” Stoll said.

When asked whether the brand would be called Alpine or Renault Alpine, Stoll responded, “just Alpine. Renault will provide the base engine, but Alpine will do the tuning. Also the platform is specific to the brand because the Alpine DNA is lightweight.”

Stoll revealed that Alpine’s target customer will be a person “who does not need this (Alpine) car for his everyday life,” but rather a customer that’s seeking for something “fun and a pleasure to drive.”

As for the production model of the Alpine Vision, Stoll disclosed that 80% of the exterior will be transferred to the production car, while 60% of the interior will similarly be carried over.

Whether the new model will be able to match the 600 kg weight of the 1959 Alpine A110, Stoll responded that the most important thing was to ensure that 0-100 km/h acceleration can be achieved in under 4.5 seconds, as this is what customers are expecting. “This is what we will deliver,” Stoll declared.

In relation to sales, Stoll isn’t looking at selling thousands or let alone hundreds of the production model, but “as many as possible.” The brand will also launch a range of new models in time to come, he said.

Meanwhile, it was said that Alpine cars will initially be sold by Renault dealers. “The challenge is finding partners that can properly interact with the Alpine customer base. These dealers will need to know how to re-sell trade-ins at price points that are unfamiliar to many Renault retailers. That is why we think Infiniti dealers would be our ideal candidates,” Stoll revealed.

Elsewhere, Stoll said that he aims to leverage on Renault’s return to F1 to increase global awareness of the Renault brand – particularly in China where local production has just begun. It was also revealed that with the new hybrid powertrains used in F1, said technology will be transferred into production cars – Alpine models included.

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